WallyR
Registered
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2009
- Messages
- 3
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Grimsby, Ontario, Canada
- Website
- home.cogeco.ca
Hi Anna;
Re: My novel was accepted early last year. Publication is in April this year.
First of all, congratulations on getting your novel accepted by a 'traditional' publisher. I'll look out for it in April.
It seems you've done well having bypassed the more traditional route of going through an agent first and then having the agent finding a publisher. A process I believe can take upwards of two years (if one’s lucky enough). Perhaps, could you please share with us the timeframe it took you, after you finished your mss, to find the publisher? Also it seems your publisher has been much quicker than other traditional ones, who I understand normally take around 18 months to publish a book. Also, I, for one, would be interested in hearing about your experiences with the marketing and PR end of your publisher's efforts. For I've heard some 'horror stories' from authors selected by well known mainstream publishers.
I would agree with Paul's comments, especially that ... Just being accepted and published by a publisher doesn't mean you have a good book.... For, again, I've read some pretty awful stuff written by authors who reportedly received six figure advances and had been edited and vetted by their mainstream publishers and handlers.
I'm one of the YWO published authors who feels that this was a good deal (for me at least), especially not having to wait years and years to see my novel in print, if I'd gone the traditional agent-mainstream publisher route. I don't begrudge YWO the 40 quid, for the ISBN fee, and the two month publishing time-frame was wonderful. I did my own, re-re-writing, checking, had the book critiqued, professionally edited and beta read, before submission (most mainstream authors do it, or should do it if they want to garner some sales.) I had the covers professionally designed. Sure, I'll have to do my own marketing/PR but some of my mainstream author friends have do quite a bit of it any way, mostly to continue keeping the sales going. The other drawback they tell me is that if the publisher sees a lack of sales or returns from the bookstores, they'll stop publishing the book and are happy to see it fall into their 'back-list' and concentrate their efforts on new projects. The authors are then stuck, at least for the length of their contracts. Their books may then only be found in the used bookstores. Also, I believe the majority of sales are on-line anyway, even if the novel's in real book stores. The reason being that now people are finding it easier/convenient to browse in the on-line bookstores (with the 'look inside the book' feature) and orders above a certain amount are mailed postage free.
I wish you good luck in the publication, marketing and sales of your novel.
Best,
Waheed (Wally) Rabbani
Grimsby, Ontario, Canada
The Azadi Trilogy, Book I: Doctor Margaret's Sea Chest
http://home.cogeco.ca/~wrabbani
Re: My novel was accepted early last year. Publication is in April this year.
First of all, congratulations on getting your novel accepted by a 'traditional' publisher. I'll look out for it in April.
It seems you've done well having bypassed the more traditional route of going through an agent first and then having the agent finding a publisher. A process I believe can take upwards of two years (if one’s lucky enough). Perhaps, could you please share with us the timeframe it took you, after you finished your mss, to find the publisher? Also it seems your publisher has been much quicker than other traditional ones, who I understand normally take around 18 months to publish a book. Also, I, for one, would be interested in hearing about your experiences with the marketing and PR end of your publisher's efforts. For I've heard some 'horror stories' from authors selected by well known mainstream publishers.
I would agree with Paul's comments, especially that ... Just being accepted and published by a publisher doesn't mean you have a good book.... For, again, I've read some pretty awful stuff written by authors who reportedly received six figure advances and had been edited and vetted by their mainstream publishers and handlers.
I'm one of the YWO published authors who feels that this was a good deal (for me at least), especially not having to wait years and years to see my novel in print, if I'd gone the traditional agent-mainstream publisher route. I don't begrudge YWO the 40 quid, for the ISBN fee, and the two month publishing time-frame was wonderful. I did my own, re-re-writing, checking, had the book critiqued, professionally edited and beta read, before submission (most mainstream authors do it, or should do it if they want to garner some sales.) I had the covers professionally designed. Sure, I'll have to do my own marketing/PR but some of my mainstream author friends have do quite a bit of it any way, mostly to continue keeping the sales going. The other drawback they tell me is that if the publisher sees a lack of sales or returns from the bookstores, they'll stop publishing the book and are happy to see it fall into their 'back-list' and concentrate their efforts on new projects. The authors are then stuck, at least for the length of their contracts. Their books may then only be found in the used bookstores. Also, I believe the majority of sales are on-line anyway, even if the novel's in real book stores. The reason being that now people are finding it easier/convenient to browse in the on-line bookstores (with the 'look inside the book' feature) and orders above a certain amount are mailed postage free.
I wish you good luck in the publication, marketing and sales of your novel.
Best,
Waheed (Wally) Rabbani
Grimsby, Ontario, Canada
The Azadi Trilogy, Book I: Doctor Margaret's Sea Chest
http://home.cogeco.ca/~wrabbani
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